


A Hero In The Making

by bonesofether



Category: Transformers Generation One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 18:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14721594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonesofether/pseuds/bonesofether
Summary: Pinned down and the Decepticons drawing closer, Bumblebee steps up to help his friends and compatriots.





	A Hero In The Making

**Author's Note:**

> A little birthday ficlet that I wrote up. I attempted to make it as Generation 1-esque as I could, which made this all the more fun to write!

Wisps of smoke curled up from the scorched battlefield, still smoldering embers fluttering in the weak breeze. The battle had been long and arduous, with the Autobots only barely managing to hold the line against the fierce attacks from the Decepticons. Even now, the occasional Seeker would tear through the soot-choked sky, scanning for any Autobots foolish enough to leave the safety of cover.

“Those fraggin’ Cons ain’t letting up!” Ironhide snarled, recharging his assault rifle. He glanced over at Optimus, who was quickly glancing over a map of the area. “Any ideas, Prime? We can’t sit here and just wait to get shot into scrap metal.”

“The Decepticons have set up an effective barricade across most of the battlefield,” Optimus replied firmly. “There are only a few, small openings in their defenses, but they’re far too small for us to launch a full on assault.”

“What about just sending one or two of us in to set explosives?” Bumblebee offered, wincing when another mortar crashed against the side of the building he and his compatriots had taken refuge in. He shook off the dust and debris that showered down on him before continuing. “If we could put even two breaks in the Decepticons’ defenses, then we could-”

“Absolutely not,” Ratchet interjected, looking up from where he had been working to repair the considerable damage to one of Jazz’s shoulders. “You’d get blasted to bits before you could even get to the defenses. And I don’t think even I would be able to put you back together after something like that.”

Frowning at the medic’s grim words, Bumblebee looked to Optimus, trying to find some affirmation from his commander. Before he could ask, however, the Prime shook their helm and cut him off with a wave of their hand. ...much to Bumblebee’s chagrin.

“I have to agree with Ratchet on this one, Bumblebee,” Optimus stated. “It’s too risky to send anyone out there.”

“What if I just went?” Bumblebee countered, his gaze flicking over to the set of explosives he had been referring to earlier.

“Yer’ serious?” Ironhide asked incredulously, quirking a helm ridge. “Have you missed all the gunfire and mortars they’ve been raining down on us for the past hour?”

“Of course I haven’t,” Bumblebee grumbled, crossing his arms. “But you said so yourself; we’re going to get blasted to scrap if we just hide out here.”

“Going out on a suicide run was not my idea of an answer.”

Huffing and grumbling under his breath, Bumblebee looked away. This was beyond frustrating to not have his teammates believe that he could pull off this kind of bomb-setting run. He’d done riskier things before, and if they could break the Decepticon defenses, it could possibly turn the tide of battle in the Autobots’ favor. Not to mention, he was arguably the fastest one present, at the moment, and had the best chance of being able to get through the small barricade breaks and set the explosives.

The only other possibility could have _maybe_ been Jazz, but they were too wounded to transform, much less maneuver through gunfire and set explosives.

“Optimus, please, I could-” Bumblebee started imploringly.

“Not now, Bumblebee,” Optimus interrupted. He gave the younger mech a stern but concerned look. “It’s too dangerous and I don’t want to risk you getting damaged. We have enough injured.”

Sighing heavily in exasperated defeat, Bumblebee looked over at Jazz. The Autobot Second In Command slowly and slightly shook their helm, wordlessly advising Bumblebee against what he had offered. Irritated, Bumblebee looked back to the small stack of explosives.

“Ironhide, come here for a moment,” Optimus asked, pointing to a place on the map. “Could we possibly launch an attack on this spire here?”

Watching as the veteran Autobot inspected the map along with the Prime, Bumblebee then looked over to where Ratchet had resumed repairing Jazz. Both the medic and Second In Command were talking between themselves. And so, slowly but surely, Bumblebee began to edge towards the explosives.

“No way, Prime,” Ironhide sighed with a shake of his helm. “The Cons would see us coming from a mile away and blast us before we could even get close.”

“What if we used this building here as cover?”

“That’s all good and well against gunfire and mortars, but that’s not going to do slag for us against those fliers up above.”

“There’s a few entrances that haven’t been blocked off, if we tried to go through those, then we could-”

“Where’s Bumblebee?” Ratchet asked suddenly, having looked up to get a new tool.

The question made all the Autobots in the room stop, and they quickly looked around before all optics turned to the main doorway.

Bumblebee, and the explosives, were gone.

 

The air itself rattled with the concussive blasts that seemed to be everywhere, and Bumblebee had to swerve and pull hairpin turns to avoid getting struck by the shrapnel. His engine screamed as the yellow Autobot practically flew across the battlefield. For now, Bumblebee was fairly certain that he hadn’t been spotted by any of the Seekers, but he wasn’t about to slow down and check.

_::Bumblebee! Return to the base of operations immediately!::_

Optimus’s sudden and strict order almost made the young Autobot skid off his intended route, but Bumblebee managed to recover.

_::I’m almost there, Optimus! I can make it!::_

_::There are two fliers coming back around and they will see you! Turn around immediately and we may be able to provide cover fire!::_

Reluctantly, Bumblebee clicked off his comm link. As much as he hated to do so, Optimus’s voice was just going to be a distraction at this time. Even as he did so, Bumblebee could hear the lecture he was going to get from Ironhide, Ratchet, or both about being insubordinate.

Maybe they would be a little more understanding after Bumblebee helped break the Decepticon defenses.

Another explosion, following by the shrieking of Seeker jets, suddenly erupted right behind Bumblebee, making the ground quake and momentarily knocking him off balance.

 _If_ he could break the Decepticon defenses.

Circuitry almost smoking, Bumblebee put on an extra burst of speed as he raced to the small opening in the barricade. Machine gunfire rattled around him, sending skiffs of sparks and flecks of molten metal into the air. Ignoring the temperature warnings that were starting to ping, Bumblebee managed one last, desperate push of acceleration…

...and skidded through the opening.

It was smaller than Bumblebee had anticipated, and the jagged edges of rock clipped off both his sideview mirrors. The damage went disregarded, however, because now Bumblebee was in the brief safety of the barricade. The Seekers couldn’t fire down on him, and the only way he could be shot at now was if Decepticons entered the barricade itself.

Seamlessly transforming, Bumblebee used the momentum of his drive to give him a running start, and he immediately began placing the explosives around the edges of the opening. Once he had finished, and after a brief hesitation, Bumblebee turned back on his comm. He half expected to be greeted by Ironhide yelling at him, but, fortunately, there was silence.

 _::Optimus?::_ Bumblebee pinged cautiously, keeping his voice as low as he could.

_::Bumblebee!? Where are you?::_

_::I’m inside the barricade. I made it inside, but I’m pretty sure Starscream and his sniveling Seeker friends know that, too.::_ Bumblebee backed away from the opening, not wanting to be caught off guard by a Decepticon giving pursuit. _::But I can detonate the bombs and break the barricade!::_

 _::Can you_ **_safely_ ** _do so?::_

_::Yes! I can do it! I can blast this barricade to rubble!::_

_::Do it,::_ Optimus ordered solemnly. _::And then get out of there immediately. You’ll have Decepticons converging on your position before you know it.::_

Unable to help the confident smirk that crossed his features, Bumblebee armed the explosives before backing away. He hadn’t come this far to get caught in the blast radius or the rubble of his own making. The yellow Autobot sprinted to cover and dove behind it, looking back to the now rigged opening…

...just in time to see Starscream land in the entryway.

“You thought you were fast, but you weren’t fast enough, pathetic Autobot!” the Seeker screeched, taking aim at Bumblebee.

“Let’s see how fast you fly with a ton of rubble on your wings!”

Not wasting another moment, Bumblebee detonated the bombs. The resulting eruption of fire, shrapnel and slag shook the air and momentarily deafened the young Autobot. In seemingly an instant, though, the blinding flash from the explosions was replaced by rays of sunlight streaming through the smoke and now decimated Decepticon barricade.

 

* * *

 

“How long has he been recharging with that little smirk on his face?” Ironhide asked, looking down at Bumblebee.

Slouched over in his seat, contentedly dozing, the young Autobot would occasionally murmur in his sleep. Aside from that, however, Bumblebee appeared to be quite comfortable in his little dream world.

“He was like that when I came in here,” Jazz chuckled quietly. “And whatever he’s dreaming about, it must be good.”

“So glad to see how seriously he takes security around here,” Ironhide grumbled.

“Aw, lighten up, you old grump,” Jazz teased. “Prowl’s been doing patrols and Red Alert is on guard duty. I think we can let Bumblebee dream a little for now, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. A real hero in the making.”


End file.
